marek wrote:Boyle was embarrassed. It was like that scene in tombstone between billy bob Thornton and Kurt Russell.Slapped him in the face and just about made him cry.

I had the same thought.

Wyatt Earp: You skin that smoke wagon and we'll see what happens.Johnny Tyler: Listen mister, I'm getting awful tired of your...[Wyatt slaps him]Wyatt Earp: Are you gonna do something? Or just stand there and bleed?

MRandall25 wrote:I don't get what they mean by "What do you expect, they have him on their 2nd pair".

Were they giving him 1st pairing minutes in SJ?

Hmm? They mean that if Murray is playing too much you'll lose as a result. Right? Or am I missing something...?

Correct (see above)

It's like they don't realize Martin & Letang, the Pens' two best defenseman, are injured which has resulted in their eventual 3rd pairing of Murray-Niskanen having to take on 2nd pairing duties for the time being - and they haven't been all that bad in doing so.

They need to find money and make room for him because this guy isn't going anywhere. Shero better resign him. He seems to play a smarter game than at least a couple other guys in the 6 anyway. Whatever pair he plays on, he has what we need(ed).

I'd have reservations about our transition game with that defense. Martin can carry it but isn't utilized to do so at even strength. Despres isn't a major catalyst on that front, at least not yet. Orpik shouldn't be handling the puck. Nor should Eaton. Murray and Bortuzzo can't.

I don't love Niskanen, but I think we'd have trouble getting the puck up the ice with that defense.

Just like Philadelphia this year. Chris Pronger and Matt Carle led their transitional attack. They're gone, band-aids (like Bruno Gervais and Kurtis Foster) have dried up and fallen off already and the Flyers just can't generate ES offense as a result.

This season, only 63.8% of Philadelphia's goals have come at ES. 27th in the NHL (Fla, Edm, NJ). They're tied for 23rd in 5-on-5 goals.

They don't have the ability to get the puck to their lead playmaker on every pairing and they suffer as a result.

And just leave that bottom pairing as a blackhole for offense. That said, this team won a Stanley Cup with a Scuderi-Gill pairing. Which would be about as slow and about as poor with the puck as Eaton and Murray. So, my case is overstated probably.

I feel like Niskanen is such a versatile player that you need someone like him in the lineup*. He can play in all situations and all pairings in emergencies. Sorta like the Dupuis of Defense. If he can be had for a relatively cheap price still and be your 3rd pairing guy it's pretty ideal. That leaves someone like Eaton as a scratch, who can also play a number of roles but is getting older. Then you bring in the younger guys as injury replacements, when the inevitable happens.